Ensworth ends Baylor girls' state streak

Ensworth ends Baylor girls' state streak

MANCHESTER, Tenn. - Teleri Hughes looked inconsolable even as her mother pulled the Baylor School junior close for a hug.

Blakesly Warren tried to hold back tears while easing her putter back into the soaking wet red golf bag. Emily Javadi just hung her head after signing her scorecard at Willowbrook Golf Club

The Lady Red Raiders were defeated in a golf state tournament for the first time since 1994.

A streak of 16 straight titles -- which has Baylor tied with Xavier Prep in Phoenix for the nation's longest state-championship winning streak in girls' golf -- came to an end Tuesday. Nashville's Ensworth won the Division II-AA competition by two strokes, 312 to 314, after beginning the final round tied with the Chattanooga power.

Baylor beat Ensworth in three previous competitions this year.

"Last year was the big year to tie the record," Baylor coach Gary Partrick said. "We didn't win it by ourselves. But we still have the record. Look it up. Our name is at the top."

Medalist Alexandra Farnsworth, a sophomore, shot a two-day total of 1-over-par 145 for Ensworth. Teammate Maddie Williams added a 167.

"I'm happy and I'll say that," Farnsworth said. "I've never been happier in team golf. It feels good to beat Baylor, but then again, we're good friends with them."

Warren led Baylor at 13 over for two days and with an 81 on Tuesday. She tied for second with Mary Virginia Portera of St. Agnes.

Baylor senior Emily Javadi -- the alternate who played for junior Lauren Johnson -- added an 84 in the final round. Junior Teleri Hughes, who was fourth individually, had the final round drop-score of 13 over.

"If somebody would have told me that our three girls would shoot in the 80s in one day, I'd be very surprised," Johnson said. "It's a little disappointing to finish second. But Ensworth played well."

The final round began in wet conditions, and rain pelted Manchester. Play continued for nearly three hours before a 2-hour, 15-minute weather delay.

Golfers returned to the course with standing water in some fairways, bunkers fit for frogs and cart paths under water as sporadic rain fell in the afternoon.

"There were a lot of different factors -- the pressure, the weather -- and whatever they were, we didn't handle them very well," Partrick said. "We'll start tomorrow being a chaser instead of the chased."

And Baylor will be chasing Ensworth, which likely will have both Farnsworth and Wlliams back to defend its championship.

"We came in here with the feeling that we had nothing to lose, so the girls didn't have any pressure," Ensworth coach Joe Gaskins said. "It's always good to beat somebody who has been dominant. Everybody would like to beat Baylor in girls' golf because they've been the standard since like 1908."